McDonald's ready to plant flag in Siberia

Aug. 28, 2012

The Golden Arches are about to pop up in Siberia, Russia. According to the Voice of Russia, the company's Russia development director, Viktor Eidemiller, confirmed that at least 10 units are planned for Siberia, in the western cities of Novosibirsk, Barnaul, Tomsk and Novokuznetsk.

Additionally, the franchisee is about to break ground in Krasnoyarsk, Central Siberia.

McDonald's East Europe and Russia CEO Hamzat Hasbulatov said the Siberian expansion is possible because of a new supply chain development in European Russia that includes distribution centers in Kazan and Yekaterinburg.

Currently, the only global QSRs that operate in Siberia are KFC and Subway. KFC has had a presence there since 2002.

McDonald's has about 325 units in the country, mostly in European Russia. The chain has had a presence there since the late 1980s.